Enlightened Common Sense: The Philosophy of Critical Realism

Since its inception in the 1970’s, critical realism has grown to address a broad range of subjects, including economics, philosophy, science, and religion. It has also gone through a number of key evolutions that have changed its direction, and seen it develop into a complex and mature branch of philosophy. Critical Realism: A Brief Introduction, is the first book to look back over the entire field of critical realism in one concise and accessible volume. As the originator and chief exponent of CR, Roy Bhaskar draws from his experience of countless introductory lectures, seminars, workshops and courses to give a definitive and compelling account of this increasingly influential, international and multi-disciplinary approach. Its eight chapters examine the following topics:Transcendental Realism and the Philosophy of ScienceCritical Naturalism and the Philosophy of Social ScienceExplanatory Critique and EthicsLanguage and Critical Discourse AnalysisThe Development of Critical RealismInterdisciplinarity and Applied Critical RealismModernity, Theories of Science and MetacritiqueThe Advantages of Critical Realism Everything from the definition of CR and its applicability to the social sciences, to explanations of dialectical critical realism and the philosophy of meta-reality are addressed in detail, making this the essential introduction for students of CR at all levels.